Off road vehicle

ABSTRACT

An off-road vehicle includes a frame, a front suspension, and a rear suspension. In some examples of the off-road vehicle, the rear suspension includes trailing arms with are pivotally attached to the frame rearward of an operator area. Further, the frame can include a front subframe assembly and a rear subframe assembly which are easily removable from the main frame of the vehicle to permit access to various components of the off-road vehicle.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/244,793, filed on Aug. 23, 2016, which claims the benefit of andpriority to U.S. Provisional application titled “Off Road Vehicle,”having inventor Robby Gordon, and Application No. 62/208,805, filed Aug.23, 2015, which is herein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This document pertains generally, but not by way of limitation, to offroad vehicles and their components.

BACKGROUND

Various types of off road vehicles are known in the art. There remains aneed for vehicles having improved suspensions, frames, components, andmodular construction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an off-road vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the off-road vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the off-road vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the off-road vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the off-road vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top vie of the off-road vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the off-road vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the off-road vehicle of FIG. 1

FIG. 9 is a rear view of the off-road vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is top view of the off-road vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the off-road vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a detailed side view of a portion of the off-road vehicle ofFIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a detailed side view of a portion of the off-road vehicle ofFIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a rear suspension assembly of theoff-road vehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 15 is a rear view of a rear suspension assembly of the off-roadvehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 16 is a side view of a rear suspension assembly of the off-roadvehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 17 is a top view of a rear suspension assembly of the off-roadvehicle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 18 is a detailed side view of a portion of an off-road vehicle.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of an off-road vehicle.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a portion of a rear suspensionassembly.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a portion of an off-road vehicle.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a portion of an off-road vehicle.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a portion of an off-road vehicle.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a portion of an off-road vehicle.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a portion of an off-road vehicle.

FIG. 26 is a view of a drive assembly.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a portion of an off-road vehicle.

FIG. 28 is a detailed exploded view of a portion of a rear suspensionassembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

U.S. Pat. No. 8,764,039, titled “Suspension for Vehicle,” filed Apr. 24,2012, having inventors Keller and Seal is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety. Further, the contents of U.S. Provisionalapplication titled “Camber Adjusting Assembly,” having inventor RobbyGordon, and Application No. 62/208,537, filed Aug. 21, 2015, is hereinincorporated by reference. Additionally, the contents of U.S.Provisional application titled “Universal Wishbone Trailing Arm,” havinginventor Robby Gordon, and Application No. 62/208,531, filed Aug. 21,2015, is also incorporated by reference herein. Additionally, thecontents of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/242,320, titled “UniversalWishbone Trailing Arm,” and U.S. application Ser. No. 15/242,864, titled“Camber Adjusting Assembly,” both having first named inventor RobbyGordon are incorporated by reference herein. Finally, U.S. Provisionalapplication titled “Off Road Vehicle,” having inventor Robby Gordon, andApplication No. 62/208,805, filed Aug. 23, 2015, is herein incorporatedby reference. Further, the immediate application claims the benefit ofand priority to Application 62/208,805, titled “Off Road Vehicle,”having inventor Robby Gordon, and filed Aug. 23, 2015.

A vehicle includes a frame, a front suspension, and a rear suspension.In some examples, the vehicle is an off-road vehicle. The front and rearsuspensions are attached to the frame. The vehicle further comprises anengine and drivetrain. In some examples, the drivetrain includes a CVT(continuously variable transmission). Further, in some examples, thevehicle is 4-wheel drive. In some examples, however, the vehicle is2-wheel drive, for example having rear ground engaging members that aredriven and front ground engaging members that are not driven by a primemover (e.g., engine).

In some examples, the vehicle has one or more removable frame portions,for example a lower front frame portion. In some examples, a rear frameportion is removable. In some examples, removable frame portions aresubframes. The removable frame portions can be configured to permit auser or mechanic to replace or work on a component or a set ofcomponents of the vehicle without having to incur significant time oreffort to access the component or components.

In some examples, the vehicle suspension comprises a rear trailing armsuspension and a front A-arm suspension. The front suspension caninclude a spring attached to a lower A-arm. The front suspension canfurther include a shock attached to the lower A-arm. In some examples,the spring and shock attached to the lower A-arm and are configured in acoil-over configuration.

In some examples, the vehicle includes a front lower subframe or frontcradle that is removably attached to the frame, for example by fastenerssuch as nuts and bolts. In turn, the front lower subframe can bedetached from the frame quickly. Further, in some examples, removal ofthe front cradle permits the front differential to be removed from thevehicle in conjunction with the front cradle. In some examples, thesteering rack is also attached to the front cradle such that thesteering rack can be removed with the front lower subframe.

In some examples, the vehicle includes a rear subframe that is removablyattached to the frame, for example by fasteners such as bolts and nuts.In some examples, the nuts are nut plates. Additionally, bolts can bethreaded into threaded portions of structure. In some embodiments, therear subframe is removed to permit easy access to a rear bulkhead, whichis positioned forwardly of the rear of the rear subframe.

In some examples, the rear subframe is attached to a rear portion of theframe. The rear portion of the frame is located under an engine cradleand the engine and CVT are attached to the cradle. In some examples, thecradle is attached to the frame and the rear subframe with fasteners(e.g., bolts) such that the rear drive (e.g., rear differential) andengine can be removed with the cradle.

In some examples, the rear subframe includes a bulkhead. In someexamples, the bulkhead is located rearwardly of the engine and theengine is located rearwardly of the passenger compartment. In someexamples of the vehicle, the rear drive (e.g., rear differential) andengine can be removed in a modular fashion with the cradle and abulkhead; upon removal of the engine and rear drive assembly, the rearsuspension remains largely intact and attached to the frame. In someembodiments, removal of the cradle, bulkhead, engine, transmission, andrear drive can be removed in a modular fashion.

With regard to FIGS. 1 and 2, a first example of a vehicle is shown. Thevehicle includes a rear trailing arm suspension and a front A-armsuspension. As shown, the rear suspension includes upper and lowertrailing arms and the upper trailing arm has a larger cross-sectionalarea than the lower trailing arm at a given position along the length ofthe vehicle. Additionally, the upper trailing arm has a spring and shockattached thereto. The spring and shock (e.g., a coil-over) are coupledto a frame member of the vehicle. In some examples, the coil-over iscoupled to a frame member behind the passenger compartment. In someexamples, the lower trailing arm is coupled to a frame member forwardlyof a rear of a seatback. In some examples, the upper trailing arm iscoupled to a frame member forwardly of a rear of a seatback. In someexamples, however, one or both of the upper trailing arm and lowertrailing arm is coupled to a frame member rearward of the rear of theseatback. Further, in some examples, one or both of the upper trailingarm and lower trailing arm is coupled to a respective frame member inthe same lateral position (along the length of the vehicle) as the rearof the seatback.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, the vehicle includes a roll-cage orroll-over protection system. The roll cage includes a plurality of rollcage disconnect locations. The roll cage disconnect locations permitremoval of portions of the roll cage, for example to facilitate shippingof the vehicle.

As further shown in FIG. 2, the rear suspension includes an upper rearlink and a lower rear link. The upper and lower rear links are attachedto a wheel hub, for example a rear of the wheel hub. In some examples,the upper and lower rear links extend rearwardly from their attachpoints on the vehicle frame. In some examples, the upper and lower rearlinks are co-planar, such that the upper rear link is parallel to thelower rear link. Stated differently, in some examples, a plane passesthrough the upper and lower rear links.

With further regard to the front suspension, in some examples, thevehicle includes an upper A-arm, wherein the rear link of the upperA-arm is located forwardly of the shock and spring. The rear link of theupper A-arm can be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thevehicle.

Turning to FIG. 3, the front suspension has upper and lower A-arms and aspring and a shock, for example in a “coil-over” configuration. Asshown, the coil-over is attached to a lower A-arm of the frontsuspension. In some examples, the lower A-arm has a bend in order toincrease ground clearance at the outer portion of the A-arm. In someexamples, however, one or both of the links of the lower A-arm isstraight and does not include a bend. In some examples, both of thelower A-arm links lie in a plane such that neither of the links has abend when viewed from the front of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 3. Insome examples, one of the links of the lower A-arm has a bend while theother of the links is straight, when viewed from the front of thevehicle.

With regard to FIG. 5, the rear of an example of a vehicle is shown. Aswill be appreciated, the frame attachment location of the rearspring/shock is at least half the total height of the vehicle. In someexamples, the frame attachment location of the rear spring/shock is atleast 60%, 70% the total height of the vehicle.

With regard to FIG. 6, in some examples, the vehicle has a rearsuspension having a front link disposed in front of the CV shaft. Thefront link can be attached to the wheel hub above or below the CV shaft.As shown in FIG. 7, however, the front link is attached to the hub belowthe CV shaft.

In some examples, a radiator is disposed rearwardly of the passengercompartment; in some examples, the radiator is in front of the passengercompartment, for example situated above the front differential. In someexamples, coolant runs through a portion of the tubular members of theframe, for example where the engine is located rearwardly of thepassenger compartment and the radiator is located forwardly of theengine compartment. Alternatively, in some examples, the vehicle hastubes or passages through which the coolant flows in a circuit betweenthe engine and radiator.

An example of a rear suspension for a vehicle is further shown in FIGS.14-17. As illustrated for example in FIG. 17, the spring and shock(e.g., coil-over) are coupled to the upper trailing arm along a lineextending between the wheel center and the location at which the uppertrailing arm attaches to the frame. In this way, torsional forces in theupper trailing are reduced when compared to a trailing arm having thespring pickup laterally offset from the line extending between the wheelcenter and the attachment location of the trailing arm.

A second example of a rear suspension assembly is shown in FIG. 19. Asillustrated, the rear suspension assembly of FIG. 19 includes acoil-over that is attached to a wishbone trailing arm between parallelportions of the wishbone. In some examples, the wishbone trailing arm isuniversal such that it can be attached to the left side of the vehicleor flipped over and attached to the right side of the vehicle. Moreover,in some examples, the wishbone trailing arm includes an anti-roll barpickup for attachment to an anti-roll bar. The anti-roll bar pickup canbe placed along the length of the wishbone trailing arm at any desirablelocation.

With regard to FIG. 19, the vehicle includes a driveshaft extending fromthe transmission (e.g., CVT) rearwardly of the passenger compartment tothe front of the vehicle to drive the front ground engaging members(e.g., wheels). In some examples, the driveshaft has a driveline mountto rout the driveshaft through a center section of the vehicle betweenthe right and left had sides (e.g., between a driver and passenger). Thevehicle can include one or more driveline mounts which can be rigidlyattached to the vehicle frame or, in some embodiments, can be mounted tothe vehicle frame via damping members, such as rubberized inserts whichcan act to reduce the transmission of vibration from the driveline intothe frame. In some examples, at least one driveline mounts is locatedalong the centerline of the vehicle.

As further shown in FIG. 19, an example of a wishbone trailing arm isshown. The camber of the wishbone trailing arm can be adjusted by movingthe adjuster, which can be any member that lengths or shortens, asdesired. In some examples, the adjuster is a turnbuckle. In someexamples, the adjuster can be a linear actuator or motor which isattached to a threaded barrel. In this way, the adjuster can be adjustedby the operator of the vehicle during operation of the vehicle. Forexample, the operator can adjust the wishbone suspension (e.g., camber)dynamically while the vehicle is in motion by flipping a switch in thepassenger compartment. The adjuster can be moved in a first directionwith a toggle switch attached to the linear actuator or a DC motor, thiscausing the adjuster to move in the first direction. To move theadjuster in the reverse direction, the operator can flip the toggleswitch in an opposite direction to move the adjuster in an oppositedirection. Such an adjuster may be particularly useful in a raceapplication where the driver desires to adjust the performancecharacteristics of the vehicle without having to stop in a pit-stop, forexample, and manually adjust the adjuster.

In some examples, the wishbone trailing arm includes two arms which meetat their distal end to form the wishbone. Each of the arms has anindependent proximal end. In some examples, each of the proximal endshas a spherical bearing. An example of a spherical bearing beingattached to an inboard arm of the wishbone trailing arm is shown in FIG.28. One of the spherical bearings, for example of the inboard arm of thewishbone trailing arm is coupled to the adjuster, for example with abolt. In some examples, the outboard arm of the wishbone suspension iscoupled to the frame via a spherical bearing. In some examples, one orboth of the spherical bearings are heim joints.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of a vehicle having a prime mover (e.g.,engine) mounted behind the passenger compartment. The prime mover can beof any suitable configuration, for example it can be an inline 3cylinder gasoline engine. In some examples, the engine has aturbocharger with our without an intercooler. The intercooler can be anair-to-air intercooler or it can be a water-to-air intercooler.Additionally, the engine can have a mechanically driven supercharger,for example a belt driven blower, roots blower, centrifugalsupercharger, screw-type supercharger, or any other suitablesupercharger or turbocharger.

FIGS. 9-11 show additional views of the vehicle.

With regard to FIG. 13, a portion of a rear end of a vehicle is shown.In some examples, the vehicle includes an engine and transmissionassembly with a cradle extending underneath the engine and attaching toboth the engine and transmission.

With regard to FIG. 21, an example of a vehicle is shown. Asillustrated, the rear subframe can be removed from the frame to exposethe rear bulkhead. In some examples, the top portion of the rearsubframe extends upwardly to a height that is higher than thetransmission (e.g., CVT). In some examples, the top portion of the rearsubframe extends upwardly to a height that is higher than the top of theengine camshaft(s). In some examples, the top portion of the rearsubframe extends upwardly to a height that is higher than the top of theengine. In some example, the top portion of the rear subframe is lowerthan the upper attachment location of the rear spring.

In some examples, the transmission is attached to the rear bulkhead. Anengine cradle is attached to both the engine and the transmission. Insome examples, the engine cradle attaches to both the front and rear ofthe engine, for example with vibration isolating mounts (e.g.,elastomeric mounts for example having a rubber or rubberized material).The engine cradle is formed, at least in part, from tubular materialsuch as steel which is bent into a u-shape to form the cradle. Theengine cradle has left and right tubes that extend underneath theengine. In some examples, the engine cradle is part of an engine cradleassembly and it attaches to the transmission, for example a front of thetransmission. In some examples, the rear of the transmission is attachedto the frame, for example via vibration isolating mounts (e.g.,elastomeric or rubberized mounts). In some examples, the rear of thetransmission (e.g., transaxle) is attached to a bulkhead (e.g., FIG.26), for example with vibration isolating mounts. In some examples,however, the rear of the transmission is attached to a portion of themain frame (e.g., FIG. 11), for example via a vibration isolating mountand a fattener (e.g., bolt and nut).

In another example, as in FIGS. 21-25, the vehicle comprises a modularframe, having a removable front frame portion. In some examples, thefront frame portion can be dropped from the remainder of the frame inorder to quickly remove the steering rack and front suspension as amodule. Further, the front differential can also be attached to theremovable front frame portion such that the front differential can beremoved from the vehicle as part of the removable front frame modularassembly. Further, in some examples, the lower A-arms are rotatablyattached to the removable front frame. Thus, the lower A-arms can beremoved as part of the modular assembly. In order to remove the frontframe portion and assembly, in some examples, one or more bolts areremoved from the front of the frame and removable front frame portion;the bolts are used to couple the lower front frame assembly to theframe. Additionally, in order to remove the lower front frame portionfrom the frame, bolts attaching the lower front frame portion and theframe are removed from an area in front of the passenger compartment butrearwardly of the front CV shafts. Further, the upper A-arms can beattached to a portion of the frame; removal of the upper A-arms can beaccomplished by removing bolts attaching the upper A-arms to the frame.In some examples, the front differential is a stressed member, meaningthat substantial forces of the front suspension are transferred throughthe front differential.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, in some examples, the vehicle includes arear subframe that is removable from the vehicle to access the rearbulkhead, engine, transmission, and area behind the passengercompartment. Upon removal of the rear subframe, the mechanic, forexample, can easily access the rear bulkhead. The rear bulkhead, inturn, is coupled to the transmission. Therefore, the transmission andengine can be removed along with the bulkhead as they are coupledtogether via the cradle.

In some examples, the engine has a wet sump. In some examples, theengine has a dry sump. The oil tank for the dry sump can be locatedbetween the engine and transmission, for example. In some examples, theoil tank is part of the cradle assembly such that it is removed with theengine and transmission without having to disconnect any oil lines oroil fittings. In some examples, the radiator is part of the cradleassembly such that it is removed with the engine and transmissionwithout having to disconnect any coolant lines or coolant fittings. Thismodularity permits a mechanic to easily work on the engine,transmission, cooling, and oiling system outside of the vehicle withouthaving to disconnect fluid lines. In a racing application, this can savetime in pit stops, for example.

With regard to FIG. 23, in some examples, the frame includes tubularmembers through which coolant for the engine and radiator flows. Coolantflows in one direction through one of the coolant flow members and inthe opposite direction through the other of the coolant flow members inorder to create a coolant circuit. The coolant routing members can alsoserve a structural purpose for the frame. Such coolant routing memberscan be utilized where the engine is behind the passenger compartment andthe radiator is in front of the passenger compartment, for example.

In some examples, the vehicle utilizes the same coil-over spring andshock combination with both the front and rear suspensions. In someexamples, however, the front coil-over spring and shock combination isdifferent than the rear spring and shock combination. For example, thefront suspension may not have the same travel as the rear. In someexamples, however, the spring and shock combination in the front has agreater travel than that of the rear suspension.

In some examples, the vehicle is less than 70″; in some examples, lessthan 68″, 66″, 64″, 62″, and in some examples, less than 60″.

In some examples, the front CV shaft length is less than 30″, less than29″, 28″, 27″, 26″, 25″, 24″, 23″, 22″. In some examples, the front CVshaft is 24″. In some examples, the front CV shaft can move 4.5″ (e.g.,the “plunge”) due to the depth of the CV joint housing.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments andexamples disclosed herein are not limited to the variations or figuresdescribed. The present disclosure is to be understood as not limited bythe specific embodiments described herein.

Returning to FIG. 1, in some examples, an off-road vehicle 10 comprisesa frame 12. The frame 12 includes a plurality of frame members 14 whichare arranged to surround the occupant or occupants of the off-roadvehicle 10. In some examples, the frame members 14 have circularcross-sections, however, other cross sections are also suitable, such asrectangular, square, etc. The frame members 14 may further have aprofiled cross-section to allow mating of a door frame or window againstthe frame member.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, some examples of the frame 12 have aplurality of rear frame members 16, 18, including an upper rear framemember 18 and a lower rear frame member 16. In some examples, the rearmost portion of the upper and lower rear frame members 16, 18 lie on acommon vertical plane 20 that is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 22of the off-road vehicle 10, as shown in FIG. 4. Further, in someexamples, the frame 12 has a plurality of generally longitudinallyextending frame members, including a lower generally longitudinallyextending frame member 24 and an upper generally longitudinallyextending frame member 26. In some examples, at least portions of thegenerally longitudinally extending frame members 24, 26 are parallel toone another when viewed from the side. When viewed from above, however,in some examples, the generally longitudinally extending frame members24, 26 are non-parallel, as shown in FIG. 6. In some examples, a portionof the rear spring and shock assembly 28 extends between the lowergenerally longitudinally extending frame member 24 and upper generallylongitudinally extending frame member 26.

As further shown in FIG. 4, in some examples, the frame 12 furtherincludes a rear upper angled frame member 30 and rear lower angled framemember 32. When viewed form the side, as in FIG. 4, in some examples,the rear upper angled frame member 30 and rear lower angled frame member32 appear parallel.

In some examples, the frame 12 includes a roll-over protection structure(ROPS) 34. In some examples, the ROPS is wider at its base than at thetop of the vehicle, for example as shown in FIG. 6. In some examples,the ROPS attaches to the remainder of the frame 12 at a plurality ofdisconnects 36, as illustrated in FIG. 4. In some examples, thedisconnects 36 are formed from cast members that are welded to adjacentframe members 14. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, in some examples, thedisconnects 36 a matingly fit with adjacent disconnects 36 b tofacilitate secure attachment of the relevant frame members 14. In someexamples, the disconnects 36 a and 36 b are attached to one another viabolts or other fasteners.

In some examples, the off-road vehicle 10 has a plurality of framemembers having a wall thickness of 0.065″, 0.072″, 0.083″, 0.095″,0.109″. Other suitable wall thicknesses can also be used.

With regard to FIG. 6, in some examples, the off-road vehicle 10includes a rear suspension assembly 38. As shown in greater detail inFIGS. 14-17, the rear suspension assembly 38 includes a left rearsuspension assembly 40 and a right rear suspension assembly 42. In atleast some examples, each of the left rear suspension assembly 40 andright rear suspension assembly 42 comprises a lower rear link 44 and anupper rear link 46. In some examples, one or both of the lower and upperrear links 44, 46 include a notched or bent portion 48 to permitclearance for the ground engaging member 50, as shown in FIG. 14. Insome examples, one or both of the lower and upper rear links 44, 46 areformed from sheet metal such as sheet steel. In some examples, the lowerand upper rear links 44, 46 are formed from a corrugated sheet steelmaterial which provides increased strength as compared to non-corrugatedmaterial. The lower and upper rear links 44, 46 may alternatively bereferred to as trailing arms or trailing links. In some examples, one orboth of the lower and upper rear links 44, 46 extend rearwardly from aportion of the frame 12 rearwardly of the operator area. In someexamples, the lower and upper rear links 44, 46 are attached to aportion of the frame 12 via a universal style joint permitting the lowerand upper rear links 44, 46 to move along an arc 58 (FIG. 15) governed,in-part, by the lateral links 52, 54, 56, as introduced below.

In some examples, each of the left rear suspension assembly 40 and rightrear suspension assembly 42 further includes one or more lateral links52, 54, 56, as shown by way of example in FIG. 14. In some examples, oneor more of the lateral links 52, 54, 56 are attached to a wheel hub 60via pivots 62. As illustrated in FIG. 15, in some examples, the laterallinks 52, 54, 56 extend rearwardly from the frame (not shown in FIG. 15)to the wheel hub 60.

As further illustrated in FIG. 17, which shows a top-down view, in someexamples, the coil-over spring 68 is attached to the upper rear link 46on a line 64 that extends between the attachment location of the upperrear link 46 to the frame (not shown in FIG. 17) and the center of theground engaging member's contact patch 66. As shown in FIG. 16, in someexamples, the coil-over 68 is attached to the upper rear link 46 via abracket 70. In some examples, the coil-over 68 is attached to thebracket 70 in a double shear configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 14.In some examples, the coil-over 68 can include adjustments one or moreof the spring and shock settings. By way of example, a stop on thespring can be adjusted; further, the shock can be adjusted to impact thedamping characteristics of the shock.

Returning to FIG. 3, the off-road vehicle 10 further includes a frontsuspension assembly 72, which includes left and right front suspensionassemblies 74, 76, respectively. In some examples, the left frontsuspension assembly 74 is a mirror image of the right front suspensionassembly 76. In some examples, each of the left and right frontsuspension assemblies 74, 76 includes a lower A-arm 78 and an upperA-arm 80. Located intermediate the upper and lower A-arms 80, 78 is ahalf-shaft 82, which drives the front ground engaging member 50. In someexamples, the lower A-arm 78 has a spring and shock (e.g., coil-over 68)pivotably attached thereto. As illustrated in FIG. 6, in some examples,the spring and shock are located rearwardly of the half-shaft 82. Asfurther shown in FIG. 6, a steering link 84 can be located forwardly ofthe half-shaft 82, however, other configurations are also permissible.

With regard to FIG. 7, in some examples, the off-road vehicle 10 furthercomprises a prime mover 86 (e.g., engine, electric motor, hybrid motor,etc.) and a CVT 88.

Turning to FIG. 11, in some examples, the off-road vehicle 10 includes atransaxle 90 and a drive shaft 92. In some examples, at least a portionof the drive shaft 92 extends forwardly from the transaxle 90. In someexamples, a portion of the drive shaft 92 extends under the prime mover86. In some examples, the prime mover is a three-cylinder engine havinga dry-sump oiling system, as shown in FIG. 21, including a remote oiltank 122.

With regard to FIG. 12, in some examples, the lower A-arm 78 ispivotably attached to the frame 12 via lower attachment tabs 94.Further, the upper A-arm 80 is pivotable attached to the frame 12 viaupper attachment tabs 96.

A front differential 98 drives the front ground engaging members 50 viadrive shaft 92. The front differential 98 can be of any suitablevariety, for example a manually locking differential, automaticallylocking differential, air locker, limited slip, hydraulically actuatedlimited slip differential, etc.

With regard to FIG. 18, in some examples, the frame 12 has a frontsubframe 100. In some examples, the front differential 98 is attached tothe front subframe 100 such that upon removal of subframe fasteners 102and fasteners 104 attaching the front differential 98 to the mainportion of the frame 12, the front differential 98 can be removed withthe front subframe 100.

Turning to FIG. 19, in some examples, the rear suspension assembly 38comprises a wishbone trailing arm 106. In some examples, the wishbonetrailing arm 106 is pivotably attached to the frame 12. In someexamples, the wishbone trailing arm 106 is pivotably attached to theframe 12 via one or more spherical bearings 108. In some examples, thewishbone trailing arm 106 is attached to the frame via a sphericalbearing 108 (FIG. 28) coupled to an adjuster 110. The adjuster 110 canbe adjusted upwardly or downwardly as illustrated via arrow 112 in orderto adjust the camber profile of the ground engaging member (not shown inFIG. 19). In some examples, the adjuster 110 is a turnbuckle, linearactuator, or rotary actuator that can be adjusted either manually whenthe vehicle is stopped or dynamically, e.g., from inside the operatorcompartment via a switch, when the vehicle is in operation.

As shown in greater detail in FIG. 20, the wishbone trailing arm 106includes two adjacent arms along a portion of its length. As will beappreciated, the adjuster 110 is coupled, in some embodiments, to theinside arm of the wishbone trailing arm 106, for example via mount 114,which, in some examples, forms a bell crank. In some examples, thewishbone trailing arm 106 further includes a wheel bearing 116.

Turning to FIG. 21, in some examples, the frame 12 of off-road vehicle10 has a removable rear subframe 118. In some examples, the rearsubframe 118 includes a rear bulkhead 120. The rear subframe 118 can beremoved from the main portion of the frame 12 at rear disconnects 136,which, in at least some examples, have a structure similar to those ofdisconnects 36 and, further, upon removal of fasteners 124, which attachthe lower rear subframe members 126 to a portion of frame 12. Uponremoval of the rear subframe 118, the rear drive assembly 128 can beremoved from the frame 12 by removing fasteners 130 from the frame 12and by uncoupling the prime mover 86 from its attachment location 132(FIG. 22) on the frame 12. In some examples, the fasteners 130 are boltsextending through a portion of the rear bulkhead 120 to attach the rearbulkhead 120 to the frame 12. In some examples, the rear subframe 118cam be removed from the frame 12 via eight, six, four, or even fewerfasteners (e.g., bolts); further, in some examples, the rear driveassembly 128 can be removed from the frame 12, along with rear bulkhead120, with the removal of fasteners 130 and fastener or fasteners 134. Insome examples the rear bulkhead 120 is attached to the transaxle 90, forexample via a plurality of fasteners.

With further regard to FIG. 21, in some examples, the prime mover 86(e.g., engine) has an air filter 138 attached thereto. In some examples,the air filter 138 is fluidly coupled to the prime mover 86 by way ofintake runners 140. Further, in some examples, the off-road vehicle 10includes a radiator 142 located rearwardly of the passenger compartmentand forwardly of the prime mover 86. In some embodiments, however, asshown in FIG. 27, for example, the radiator 142 is located forwardly ofthe operator area.

With regard to FIG. 22, an example of the frame 12 is shown with therear drive assembly 128 removed from the off-road vehicle 10. Asillustrated, in some examples, the rear frame 12 includes a horizontalframe member 144 through which the torsion portion of an anti-roll bar146 (FIG. 21) can be inserted. In some examples, the anti-roll bar 146includes a torsion portion having splines onto which links can be addedto attach to the rear suspension, as shown for example in FIG. 21. Insome examples, however, the anti-roll bar 146 is formed from a singlepiece of material that is bent at the ends thereof.

Turning to FIGS. 23 and 24, in some examples, the off-road vehicle 10includes a frame 12 and a removable front subframe 100. In someexamples, the front subframe 100 can be removed from the frame 12 byremoval of fasteners 148 and 150 which, in some examples, are bolts/nutssecuring the removable front subframe 100 to the frame 12. In someexamples, the front differential 98 is attached to the removable frontsubframe 100 and also to the frame 12. Moreover, in some examples,suspension loads (e.g., transferred through the A-arms) are transferredthrough the differential case 148. In this way, in some examples, thedifferential case 148 acts as a structural member, resulting in theelimination of frame members (e.g., tubes) and, consequently, a lighterframe 12 (and overall off-road vehicle 10). In some examples. The frontsubframe 100 is attached to the frame 12 via a channel 162 andprotrusion 164; the protrusion 164 can be inserted into the channel 162.

In some examples, the off-road vehicle 10 further includes a steeringshaft 150 and a steering rack 152. In some examples, the steering rack152 is a rack-and-pinion having a progressive steering ratio. In someexamples, the off-road vehicle 10 includes electric power steering(EPS), as shown via EPS unit 154 in FIG. 1.

In some examples, for example where the radiator is located forwardly ofthe operator area, the frame 12 includes coolant lines 156. In someexamples, the coolant lines 156 double as structural members. In someexamples, the coolant lines 156 include “exit” and “return” lines andassociated ports 158, 160.

As further shown in FIG. 24, the frame 12 is shown in an embodimentthereof, with the front subframe 100 and rear subframe 118 removed. Insome examples, the off-road vehicle 10 includes one or more grab handles166.

Turning to FIG. 25, in some examples, the frame 12 includes framemembers forming an inverted “V” 168 angling downwardly along a forwardportion of the operator area. In some examples, the frame membersforming the inverted V include disconnects to permit removal (e.g., forshipping) of the ROPS structure. In some examples, the frame 12 includestabs 170 for attachment of the rear bulkhead 120 to the frame 12.

With regard to FIG. 26, an embodiment of a rear drive assembly 128 isshown attached to bulkhead 120. As illustrated, in some examples, therear drive assembly 128 can be removed from the frame 12 along withremote oil tank 122. As further shown, in some examples, a U-shapedmember is coupled to a front of the engine 174 and a rear of the engine176. In some examples, the U-shaped member is coupled to the transaxle90, for example with a spacer member 178.

As shown now in FIG. 27, in some examples, the off-road vehicle 10further includes front spring and shock 68 attached to a suspensionbracket 180. In some examples, the suspension bracket 180 is formed fromsheet metal (e.g., sheet steel) such that both left and right coil-oversare pivotably attached to a common suspension bracket 180.

With regard to FIG. 28, a detailed view of an inner arm portion 182 ofthe wishbone trailing arm 106 is shown in exploded view. As illustrated,in some examples, the inner arm portion has a spherical bearing 184. Thespherical bearing 184 is attached to the mount 114 (FIG. 20) via spacers186 and a fastener 188 (e.g., nut and bolt).

In some examples, the off-road vehicle 10 has two side-by-side seats. Insome the off-road vehicle 10 has two or more rows of side-by-side seats.

The above description is intended to be illustrative, and notrestrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or moreaspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Otherembodiments can be used, such as by one of ordinary skill in the artupon reviewing the above description. The Abstract is provided to complywith 37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b), to allow the reader to quickly ascertain thenature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with theunderstanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scopeor meaning of the claims. Also, in the above Detailed Description,various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure.This should not be interpreted as intending that an unclaimed disclosedfeature is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter maylie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment.Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription as examples or embodiments, with each claim standing on itsown as a separate embodiment, and it is contemplated that suchembodiments can be combined with each other in various combinations orpermutations. The scope of the invention should be determined withreference to the appended claims, along with the full scope ofequivalents to which such claims are entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle comprising: a vehicle frame; a frontsubframe and a rear subframe, wherein the rear subframe is removablefrom the vehicle frame; a rear bulkhead, the rear bulkhead forwardly ofa rear of the rear subframe, wherein the rear bulkhead is connected tothe vehicle frame and wherein removal of the rear subframe allows accessto the rear bulkhead; and an engine, the engine being transverse to alongitude of the vehicle.
 2. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprisinga front differential.
 3. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising arear differential.
 4. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a rearcradle, the rear cradle suspending the engine above lower frame members.5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the rear cradle suspends the engineabove a portion of the rear subframe.
 6. The vehicle of claim 5, furthercomprising a transmission.
 7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the rearbulkhead is coupled to a rear of the transmission.
 8. The vehicle ofclaim 7, wherein the engine, transmission, bulkhead are removable fromthe vehicle as a first assembly.
 9. The vehicle of claim 8, furthercomprising an oil tank that is remote from the engine.
 10. The vehicleof claim 9, wherein the oil tank is removable as part of the firstassembly without disconnecting oil lines.
 11. The vehicle of claim 10,further comprising a radiator, wherein the radiator is removable as partof the first assembly without disconnecting coolant lines.
 12. Thevehicle of claim 1, further comprising a wishbone trailing armsuspension attached to the frame at two locations.
 13. The vehicle ofclaim 12, wherein the wishbone trailing arm suspension is coupled to theframe via an adjuster, the adjuster configured to dynamically adjustcamber angle during operation of the vehicle.
 14. The vehicle of claim13, wherein the adjuster comprises an actuator.
 15. A vehiclecomprising: a vehicle frame; a front subframe and a rear subframe; arear bulkhead, the rear bulkhead forwardly of a rear of the rearsubframe; a rear engine cradle connected to the vehicle frame and therear subframe; and an engine, the engine being transverse to a longitudeof the vehicle and coupled to the rear engine cradle, wherein the rearengine cradle suspends the engine above a portion of the rear subframe.16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the front subframe and the rearsubframe are removable from the vehicle frame
 17. The vehicle of claim15, wherein the rear cradle is U-shaped and attaches to both a front andrear of the engine.
 18. The vehicle of claim 17, further including atransmission, wherein the rear cradle is further attached to a front ofthe transmission.
 19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the rear bulkheadis attached to a rear of the transmission.
 20. The vehicle of claim 15,wherein the engine is attached to the rear cradle with vibrationisolating mounts.